Unarmed New Orleans Man Shot In The Head By New Orleans Police

A man was shot in the head Monday during a traffic stop in Algiers, sending him to the hospital for the past two days with a serious but not life-threatening injury, the man’s attorney said Wednesday. The shooting was never publicly disclosed by New Orleans police.

In response to this article, NOPD issued a written statement saying Armand Bennett, 26, “was shot” during the traffic stop, and an officer, unnamed by the department, suffered a minor contusion on the right hand.

Bennett was in an intensive care unit on Tuesday and was still recovering at the hospital Wednesday, said attorney Nandi Campbell, who visited him in the hospital.

The man’s brother was in the car at the time, and said he heard two shots fired by a female officer, Campbell said. The brother reported they were confronted by officers with their guns drawn while parked near the Tall Timbers subdivision, where one of them is a resident.

Details about what prompted the confrontation remain scarce. NOPD on Monday said only that an officer was wounded on the job, in what the department described as an “officer needs assistance” call, in which an officer’s life was in danger. The department, despite receiving requests for information and records, did not disclose that anyone was shot.

The NOPD on Monday did not respond to a request for additional details. NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune also submitted a public records requests seeking the initial incident report. By Wednesday, the department had not provided the report.

The NOPD only confirmed the shooting after this story was published.

NOPD said once Bennett is released from the hospital, he will be booked on five outstanding warrants from Orleans and Jefferson parishes, including possession of marijuana, illegal possession of a weapon, resisting an officer, resisting an officer and criminal damage to property.

The monitor’s office is involved in the investigation, spokeswoman Ursula Price said, adding it was too early to comment on what happened.

“We’ve had some conversations with the arrestee’s mother and attorney, and are considering their questions and concerns in our review,” she said.

The NOPD’s Force Investigative Team, which investigates officer-involved shootings, is overseeing the investigation.

At what point do we as a nation question the people who are supposed to be protecting and serving us????